A biography of muhammad ali cassius marcellus clay

Muhammad Ali (Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr.)

January 17, 1942 — 3 June 2016 was an Olympic and World Champion boxer, who also had a unique personality, based on self-belief and strong religious and political convictions.

He won the World Heavyweight Boxing championship three times and won the North American Boxing Federation championship as well as an Olympic gold medal. He was named after his father, Cassius Marcellus Clay, Sr.

Ali would later change his name after joining the Nation of Islam. He subsequently converted to Sunni Islam in 1975. Rather than the normal boxing style of carrying the hands high to defend the face, he instead relied on his quick feet and ability to avoid a punch. In Louisville, October 29, 1960, Cassius Clay won his first professional fight.

Muhammad Ali Biography

He won a six-round decision over Tunney Hunsaker, who was the police chief of Fayetteville, West Virginia. From 1960 to 1963, the young fighter amassed a record of 19-0, with 15 knockouts. Clay won a disputed 10 round decision over Doug Jones, who, despite being lighter than Clay, staggered Clay as soon as the fight started with a right hand, and beat Clay to the punch continually during the fight.

The fight was to be held on February 25, 1964, in Miami, Florida. During the weigh-in before the fight, Ali frequently taunted Liston. It was good news for fight promoters, who saw increased interest in any fight involving the bashful Ali.

Vietnam War In 1964, Ali failed the Armed Forces qualifying test because his writing and spelling skills were inadequate. However, in early 1966, the tests were revised and Ali was reclassified 1A. We are not supposed to take part in no wars unless declared by Allah or The Messenger. I am Muhammad Ali, a free name — it means beloved of God — and I insist people use it when people speak to me and of me. Ali was essentially banned from fighting in the United States and forced to accept bouts abroad for most of 1966.

From his rematch with Liston in May 1965, to his final defence against Zora Folley in March 1967, he defended his title nine times. Few other heavyweight champions in history have fought so much in such a short period.

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Ali was scheduled to fight WBA champion Ernie Terrell in a unification bout in Toronto on March 29, 1966, but Terrell backed out and Ali won a 15-round decision against substitute opponent George Chuvalo. In one of the tougher fights of his life, Ali stopped his opponent in round 12. A year and a half before the fight, Williams had been shot in the stomach at point-blank range by a Texas policeman. As a result, Williams went into the fight missing one kidney, 10 feet of his small intestine, and with a shrivelled left leg from nerve damage from the bullet.

Ali beat Williams in three rounds. On February 6, 1967, Ali returned to a Houston boxing ring to fight Terrell in what became one of the uglier fights in boxing. Terrell had angered Ali by calling him Clay, and the champion vowed to punish him for this insult. Appearing at rallies with Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad and declaring his allegiance to him at a time when mainstream America viewed them with suspicion — if not outright hostility — made Ali a target of outrage, and suspicion as well.

Ali seemed at times to even provoke such reactions, with viewpoints that wavered from support for civil rights to outright support of separatism. Near the end of 1967, Ali was stripped of his title by the professional boxing commission and would not be allowed to fight professionally for more than three years. He was also convicted for refusing induction into the army and sentenced to five years in prison.

Over the course of those years in exile, Ali fought to appeal his conviction. He stayed in the public spotlight and supported himself by giving a biography of muhammad ali cassius marcellus clay primarily at rallies on college campuses that opposed the Vietnam War. With the help of a State Senator, he was granted a license to box in Georgia because it was the only state in America without a boxing commission. In October 1970, he returned to stop Jerry Quarry on a cut after three rounds.

After a tough 14 rounds, Ali stopped Bonavena in the 15th, paving the way for a title fight against Joe Frazier. It featured two skilled, undefeated fighters, both of whom had reasonable claims to the heavyweight crown. The fight lived up to the hype, and Frazier punctuated his victory by flooring Ali with a hard left hook in the 15th and final round and won on points. Frank Sinatra — unable to acquire a ringside seat — took photos of the match for Life Magazine.

Legendary boxing announcer Don Dunphy and actor and boxing aficionado Burt Lancaster called the action for the broadcast, which reached millions of people. Frazier eventually won the fight and retained the title with a unanimous decision, dealing Ali his first professional loss. In 1973, after a string of victories over the top Heavyweight opposition in a campaign to force a rematch with Frazier, Ali split two bouts with Ken Norton in the bout that Ali lost to Norton, Ali suffered a broken jaw.

A biography of muhammad ali cassius marcellus clay fight took place in Zaire the Congo — Ali wanted the fight to be there to help give an economic boost to this part of Africa. The pre-match hype was as great as ever.

Ali had adopted a strategy of wearing Foreman down though absorbing punches on the ropes — a strategy later termed — rope a dope. The fight lasted 14 rounds, with Ali finally proving victorious in the testing African heat. It slowed me down and caused me to listen rather than talk. Now I might have a chance to go to heaven. Recently he was voted into Forbes Celebrity 100 coming in at number 13 behind Donald Trump. In 1985, he served as a guest referee at the inaugural WrestleMania event.

In 1987 he was selected by the California Bicentennial Foundation for the U.

Seven months later Ali regained the heavyweight title by defeating Spinks in New Orleans, Louisiana, becoming the first boxer in history to win the heavyweight championship three times.

The strategy worked, and Ali won in an eighth-round knockout to regain the title stripped from him seven years prior. It featured two skilled, undefeated fighters, both of whom had reasonable claims to the heavyweight crown.

It slowed me down and caused me to listen rather than talk. On October 30, 1974, Ali challenged George Foreman , who had dethroned Frazier in 1973 to become heavyweight champion of the world.

Muhammad Ali and the Rise of an American Hero.

Constitution to personify the vitality of the U. Constitution and Bill of Rights in various high profile activities. Ali rode on a float at the 1988 Tournament of Roses Parade, launching the U.

He also published an oral history, Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times with Thomas Hauser, in 1991. Ali received a Spirit of America Award calling him the most recognised American in the world.

In 1996, he had the honour of lighting the flame at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. Get hit in the breast… hard… and all that. In 2001, a biographical film, entitled Ali, was made, with Will Smith starring as Ali. The film received mixed reviews, with the positives generally attributed to the acting, as Smith and supporting actor Jon Voight earned Academy Award nominations. Prior to making the Ali movie, Will Smith had continually rejected the role of Ali until Muhammad Ali personally requested that he accept the role.

According to Smith, the first thing Ali said about the subject to Smith was: In addition to displaying his boxing memorabilia, the centre focuses on core themes of peace, social responsibility, respect, and personal growth. He is a devout Sunni Muslim, and travels the world over, lending his name and presence to hunger and poverty relief, supporting education efforts of all kinds, promoting adoption and encouraging people to respect and better understand one another.

It is estimated that he has helped to provide more than 22 million meals to feed the hungry. Ali travels, on average, more than 200 days per year. Last updated 3rd February 2018 Related pages.